Windshield defroster



May 30, 1939- H. F. MALONEY 2,160,597

'WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER Filed Feb. 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l INVENTOR. Has/RY F. ML ONE Y ATTORNEY.

y 30, 1939- H. F. MALONEY 2,160,597

WINDSHIELD DEFROSTER Filed Feb. 11, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 IN VENTOR.

Ham F. M4 ONLY) BY A TTORNEY.

Patented May 30, 1939 2,160,597

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE 2,160,597 wmnsmam nnmos'relt Henry F. Maloney, Newton, Kama, assignor of one-half to August K. Klein, Halstead, Kans.

Application February 11, 1938, Serial No. 190,059

1 Claim. (CL 20-405) My invention relates to a windshield defroster. My invention herein disclosed consists of a The object of my invention is to provide a dewindshield sash I, properly mounted in the frame froster for the entire surface of the windshield of a vehicle, the said sash being glazed with a of a motor driven vehicle or the like. pair of glass sheets 2, spaced apart, and means 6 A further object of my invention is to provide to secure the said glass therein, by which a defroster warmed by an electric heating unit, means a heating chamber 3 is formed. the unit being controlled by a rheostat to vary As a means to secure said sheets of glass, the temperature according to climatic condispaced apart, I have placed therebetween a firetions, proof element 4, preferably made of asbestos, in 10 A still further object of my invention is to view of its nonflammable character and flexing 10 provide means to conceal the heating unit from suilicient for air tight purpose; furthermore a direct contact with atmospheric condition. satisfactory antirattle function is the result, it A still further object of my invention is to being understood that the said asbestos element provide a windshield having a pair of glass sheets is continuous peripherally seating in the groove 16 spaced apart and carried by an appropriate formed in the sash I. frame air tight and properly insulated, the space- Positioned adjacent the bottom rail A, and between said sheets functioning as a heating resting upon the said-asbestos member is a mechamber in which an electrically heated element tallic arcuate trough 5, functioning as a conduit is installed and controlled externally by a rheoin which is positioned an electrically heated unit 20 stat, the said unit being energized by the battery 6, said unit being supported at intervals by in- 20 of the vehicle. suiation plugs 1, as spacing means for the said These and other objects will hereinafter be unit from the trough, regardless of the alignmore fully explained, reference being had to the ment of said bottom rail, some of which are accompanying drawings, and in which like charcrowned upward or slanting outward from each acters will apply to like parts in the different end thereof to a medial apex, at which point a views. bar may be arranged to receive the glass securely Referring to the drawings: as above described, the latter form. for the wind- Fig. 1 is an inside elevation of a windshield shield not being shown in the drawings; furtheras installed in the body of a vehicle, the latter more, a heating unit for each side of the apex being in cross section, fragmentarily shown. with separate control may be provided. 30

Fig. 2 is a plan view of Fig. 1, parts removed Positioned on the instrument board 8 is a for convenience of illustration, taken on line rheostat 9. to vary the temperature of the said 2-2 in Fig. 1. heating element connected thereto by a current Fig. 3 is a similar view to Fig. 2, enlarged and line It, as shown in Figs. 1 and 4, it being unconfined to one corner of the sfl'ucture. derstood that a feeder connects the rheostat to 35 Fig. 4 is an elevation of Fig. 3, parts removed the battery of the vehicle, and the said heating for convenience of illustration. unit or units being grounded to the trough.

Fig. 5 is a sectional view taken on line 5-5 in In Figs. 4 and 5 is shown the method by which Fig. 4. the heating unit is practically obscured from 40 Fig. 6 is an inside elevation of the windshield view of the driver of the vehicle, this being an 40 with respect to the body of the vehicle, showing advantage, as said unit maintains a low degree the position of the valve. of illumination, which otherwise would be con- Fig. 7 is an enlarged end .view of the valve as fusing for night driving, should the unit be pos o in the slash e ter fragmentarily placed at or above the upper edge of the said shown. bottom rail. I 45 g. 8 is a transverse sectional view through The automatic control for expansion and conthe sash taken at the die-metr ca 8218 O t e traction between the said glass sheets of the valve. windshield consists of a valve ll, cylindrical in Fig. 9 is a plan view of Fig. 7, parts removed form and having grooves B and B oppositely for convenience of l us a o positioned with respect to the dlametrical axis 5|; Fig. 10 is an end view of the valve. of the valve, and the said grooves extend from Fig. 11 is a sectional view taken on line ll-ll the respective ends of the valve oppositely, and in Fig. 10, showing the valve normally closed. each terminating a spaced distance inward from Fig. 12 is a similar sectional view to Fig. 11, the ends thereof respectively, and the said valve showing the valve movement. is adapted to slidably engage in a sleeve II, the 5:,

said sleeve being secured in an aperture extending through from the outside of the sash to the heating chamber, so that the grooves of the valve will communicate with the heating chamber and exterior when the valve is moved longitudinally in the sleeve, by which means the expansion and contraction is relieved in the heating chamber as the valve is automatically moved inward or outward as conditions require. In other words, when the said chamber is heated, expansion takes place, in which condition the valve is forced outward as shown by dotted lines C in Fig. 12, in which instance groove B will communicate with the exterior of the sash as an r exhaust, and as the chamber cools, contraction occurs, causing the valve to move inward, so that groove B will communicate with the chamber to overcome a vacuum by an intake through said groove, the air flow being indicated by arrows in Fig. 12.

As a means to insure the valve being normally closed and permit the same to move in either direction, I have provided a spring element I3 for each end thereof as influenced by expansion or contraction, the free end of each spring adapt- 7 ed to seat on its respective end of the sleeve as a stop to insure normally closed position of the valve as tensioned by the spring, and the said springs each having a medial portion arced outward to avoid contact with the edge of the valve in its reciprocating movement. 7

As an alternate to close from view the said heating element and also as a :ensioning means to cause snug engagement of a marginal portion adjacent the lower edge of each glass panel, I have placed between said glass panels a finely perforated element l4, said element being channeled in form with respect to cross section, one leg of which is secured to the sash rail by screws l5, spaced therealong, and the said sash, being divided on line E as shown in Fig. 8, is accessible means to the said glass panels and heating elements by removing one portion of the sash as secured by screws l6 spaced therearound. It will be understood that the channel is perforated only along its web portion that is horizontally positioned, and through which heat will circulate from the said heating element, passing upward between said sheets, and the valve being free to act as energized by expansion and contraction.

While I have shown and described a straight aligned element for the heating unit, the same may be coiled or otherwise formed, and in event of the heating element for each side of the wind shield, separate rheostats are employed whereby, selectively, either half may be defrosted, and such other modification may be employed as lie within the scope of the appended claim.

This application is a continuation-in-part of my copending application, Serial No. 102,831, filed Sept. 28, 1936.

Having fully described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to secure by Letters Patent is:

A structure of the character described comprising a windshield for motor vehicles formed by two identical sheets of glass spaced apart throughout their areas, a frame for said sheets, spacing means in theirame for said sheets formed by a resilient sealing material, said sheets and said frame forming an air tight chamber, a metallic substantially U-shaped channel member positioned in the lower part of the frame for substantially its entire width, an electrical heating element arranged in said channel and extending for the major part of the length of said channel, means for insulating said heating element from the channel, said heating element positioned in said channel in a manner to lie wholly below the lower portion of the windshield frame, a lght guard arranged entirely over the channel member for completely covering the said heating element, said guard having closely arranged, relatively fine openings formed therein over its entire surface, said openings being of such size as to prevent the passage of light rays therethrough from the heating element, a valve member for establishing communication from the exterior to the interior of the heating chamber, said valve comprising a cylindrical casing open at both ends, a piston sliding therein, leaf springs engaging the opposite ends of the piston for normally holding it intermediate the length of the cylinder, oppositely arranged longitudinal ports formed in the walls of the piston, said piston whenin one position under the action of a contraction of the air in the heating chamber permitting the flow of air to said heating chamber, said piston when in the opposite position under the action of an expansive movement in the heating chamber permitting air to be discharged from said heating chamber, substantially as shown and described.

HENRY F. MALONEY. 

